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Sal Alfiero
Founder
Jeanne Alfiero
Trustee
Frederic L. Cook, C.P.A.
Chairman of the Board
In 1979, while a partner with the Coopers & Lybrand International accounting firm, Mr. Cook was first introduced to Mark IV Industries as a new client. The relationship became strong enough that Mr. Cook accepted a full-time position with Mark IV in 1986 as Senior Vice President. In September 2000, Mark IV was sold to a private equity company from the United Kingdom.
Following the sale, Mr. Cook took on the role of national chairman with the Tourette Syndrome Association from 2001 thru 2004. During this time, Fred also started his own accounting and consulting firm to help many individuals and organizations, including Sal Alfiero, with special projects.
In 2007, Mr. Cook became the Executive Director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation. During his tenure, Fred was responsible for establishing the foundation and helping to shape and focus its mission.
Currently, Mr. Cook is Chairman of Endeavor Health Services, a not-for-profit organization centered on improving emotional wellness in Western New York and its surrounding areas. Further, Fred continues to hold a position on the board of directors of the Tourette Syndrome Association.
Gerald Lippes
Trustee
Mr. Lippes is senior counsel with the law firm Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP and is the firm's founder. In addition to his work in corporate and financial transactions, Mr. Lippes proudly serves on the boards of directors of Artis-Naples, Hamister Group of Companies, Inc. and City Mattress, Inc. Mr. Lippes is a Life Trustee/Director of Buffalo Fine Arts Academy (Albright-Knox Art Gallery), a member of State University of New York at Buffalo Council (Ameritus), a member of the National Committee for the Whitney Museum of American Art and vice-chair of Baker Art Museum of Naples. He is a past director of Gibraltar Industries, Inc.
Mr. Lippes has received the following awards/accolades:
Entrepreneur of the Year awarded by Business First, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, 1993; State University of New York at Buffalo, Law School – Jaeckle Award 1995; National Conference of Western New York – Citation Award, 1997; Roswell Park Memorial Institute – Gioia Inspiration Award, 1997; Business Leadership Buffalo-Niagara Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded by Business First, Freed Maxick & Battaglia PC and WKBW-TV, 2003; State University of New York at Buffalo, Law School – Distinguished Alumni Award, 2004; Knox Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Arts, awarded by the Arts Council in Buffalo-Erie County, 2008; President’s Medal, State University of New York at Buffalo, 2015.
Chris Alfiero
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to establishing Foundation 214, Mr. Alfiero spent nearly a decade in the professional audio industry engaged in the sales and marketing effort toward product-use training and application, system design and, as a result of living in Europe, managing international distribution. After leaving the company and moving back to the USA, Chris earned a master’s degree from the University at Buffalo.
Following a brief start-up business developing products for stem cell research, Mr. Alfiero joined his father, Sal, in 2003 to manage a family investment office. The family office engaged in public and private investments along with growing attention to philanthropy via the former Alfiero Family Charitable Foundation. The rigor associated with employing capital to work in the for-profit world is not unlike that for the philanthropic dollar. In either case, the return on investment needs to be positive, whether it is in the formation of new capital or positive results for the community.
Having served several years on the board of the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, Mr. Alfiero clearly witnessed the need for institutions like Foundation 214.
Dr. Grace Huff, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Huff holds a bachelor of science degree in Accounting from California State University at Sacramento, and a master of science degree in Taxation from Canisius College, and she received her doctorate in Accounting at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. Her experience includes over twenty years of practice in public accounting with both large international public accounting firms and local firms in Stockton, California, and Denver, Colorado, as well as here in Buffalo, New York.
As a business advisor in her private practice, Dr. Huff helps clients grow their businesses, save tax dollars, and plan for retirement. She is a regular speaker for the Ministry of Economic Development in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Huff has spoken nationally to various accounting groups on topics such as business planning, corporate structuring, state taxation, and retirement planning. In addition, Dr. Huff brings her business experience to the classroom as an Assistant Professor at Daemen University helping students to understand the practical value of an education in business.